A Bloody Mary is an art form with an edgy yet appropriate name.

The basic ingredients of a Bloody are simple: celery salt, vodka, tomato juice, citrus juice, Worcestershire sauce and probably horseradish and hot pepper sauce for added zing.

But as you make your way through each one, you find that each is unique. And Omaha, a city known for its restaurant and bars per capita, offers several superb spots and hidden gems where some of the best Bloody Marys in the world hang out.

This guide will feature ten establishments where you cannot go wrong in ordering this classy drink on a whim.

Report In Pub
If you can appreciate chicken wings in your Bloody Mary, you will surely understand the appeal of Report In. Found on Facebook page

Report In Pub

  • 12100 W Center Rd #204|(402) 916-4438
  • Kitchen open Mon-Fri: 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. | Sat-Sun: 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

The most obvious contender for the best Bloody Mary in Omaha is Report In, recipient of the 2021 Best Of Omaha Bloody Mary award for its Giant Bloody Mary. Here, you get a 36 oz. Giant Bloody Mary for $23, and it’s infinitely worth it — but make sure to order while the kitchen is open!

These drinks — if you can call them that and ignore the mountain of food — are presented as art that fills you up. It may not be from the farmer’s market, but it’s entirely wholesome.

Here, 36 oz. of savory and mouthwatering Bloody Mary mixture mingles with a quarter-pound hamburger slider, chicken wings, onion rings, a fried pickle, and a strip of bacon. And that beautiful blend between food and drink highlights the synergy between the bartenders and kitchen staff.

Krug Park
Krug Park takes its name from an amusement park that first opened in Benson over 120 years ago. Found on Facebook page

Krug Park

  • 6205 Maple St|(402) 932-0038
  • Mon-Thurs: 3 p.m. to 12 am | Fri-Sat: 2p.m. to 2 a.m | Sun: 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Krug Park is mainly known for its beer selection, demonstrated by its Readers Recommend status – but the Benson joint objectively sells one of the most diverse Bloody Mary experiences in town. And with 15 cocktail variations on the menu and same-day pickup delivery services, it is no wonder. 

You can never go wrong with the Classic Bloody Mary for $20 or a Virgin Bloody Mary for half the price. Krug Park also offers a striking example of the lesser-known sister drink, Bloody Maria, featuring tequila instead of vodka. It doesn’t stop there – check out the vodka-infused Thai or Garden Bell Pepper Bloody Marys.

Everything about Krug Park is next-level, but the delivery service breaks down the walls of convenience. Be prepared: to-go orders made after 8 p.m. will wait until the next day.

Jake's Cigars and Spirits
Yes, you can smoke in this pub. Found on Facebook page

Jake’s Cigars & Spirits

  • 6206 Maple St|(402) 934-9633
  • Monday-Saturday: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. | Sunday: noon to 2 a.m.

Jake’s Cigars & Spirits is well known to most Nebraskans of drinking age – the bars that pump in the hearts of downtown Benson and Lincoln amid curling blue cigar smoke and whiskey aromas. And while it gets hailed as the best cigar bar in the city for at least a decade, one of its most underrated aspects is its mean Bloody Mary.

Here, the Bloody Marys tend to lean more heavily on the spicy side of life – which most likely plays a significant role in its popularity – the heat pairs well with the cigars, evidently. Each drink features regular fixings to offset the heat a little.

Ultimately, if you agree that a Bloody Mary is only as good as its mix and prefer your drink spicy, this place should be on your list. And especially if you dig the film-noir vibe because it oozes out of the walls at Jake’s Cigars & Spirits.

Jerry's Bar
While Jerry Walle, who bought and named this bar in the 1960s, no longer owns Jerry’s Bar, his predecessor, Rob Rutar, passionately and faithfully carries the tradition forward. Found on Facebook page

Jerry’s Bar

Jerry’s Bar is a homey neighborhood tavern nestled neatly outside the Benson Entertainment District that began under a different name in the 1950s. It has routinely appeared on the Best of the Big O list for serving regulars with remarkable service and rounds of its signature yet evolving Bloody Mary.

The drink is genuinely impressive, fairly priced, and goes down easy. It arrives tall, delicious, and not too spicy, adorned with green fixings for your chewing pleasure in between sips and chugs.

But there is also something ineffable about their Bloody Mary – perhaps the vitalizing aspects of its atmosphere. Drinking it down is pleasantly amplified by the walls or smiling faces of a friendly neighborhood bar. Maybe it is the pour or the mix. If you fancy Bloody Marys, you must venture to this neighborhood and discover what the inter-generational, well-founded hype is all about.

Omaha Tap House
Although Omaha Tap House is known for its vast beer selection, and rightly so, do not sleep on their cocktails. Found on Facebook page

Omaha Tap House

Part restaurant, part bar, one location that has increasingly made a name for itself over the last half-decade is the acclaimed Omaha Tap House. Both locations will blow your mind and warm your insides with a delicious Big O Bloody Mary.

The Big O Bloody Mary offers a great blend of smoky and intoxicating notes for visitors to experience as they eat and drink through this massive menu item. You can enjoy the best of both worlds: a slider and cheese curd on top of juicy olives and pickles.

And though the Omaha Tap House is a great place to dine after dark, it also features a delectable brunch arena – especially with the all-day happy hour deals on Sunday, plus a $6 Big O Bloody Mary until 2 pm. That way, you can enjoy your Sunday morning thankful, inebriated, and cost-effective.

Twisted Fork Grill & Saloon
If you want to understand and observe how these craft foods and cocktails intersect with the cowboy aesthetic, give Twisted Fork a try. Found on Facebook page

Twisted Fork Grill & Saloon

  • 1014 Howard St|(402) 932-9600
  • Sunday-Thursday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.| Friday-Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Twisted Fork sits in the heart of the Old Market downtown. It is perhaps the best place to go to for brunch and features one of the best patios in Omaha, too.

The brunch menu not only includes delicious, morning-styled, Western-themed eats for their bright and early customers, but it also contains a sizable Bloody Mary section, aptly named “Morning Pick Me Ups.” Here, you can drink down elegant Bloody Marys in an atmosphere of cowboy bravado like nothing, especially given the nature of their “Build Your Own Bloody Mary” option.

A Bacon Mary costs $6.45, and the Build-Your-Own option means the price will fluctuate, but you will pay a reasonable amount. The number of possible combinations is endless, and choosing your vodka, seasonings, hot sauces, and garnishes can become quite the experience, more than capable of working up your appetite.

The Trap Room has a 1960s vibe, replete with shag carpet, is so comfortable and inviting that you will never want to leave, and thus it is aptly named. Found on Facebook page

The Trap Room

  • 733 N 14th St |(402) 505-9368
  • Mon-Fri: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. | Sat: 12:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. | Sun: 12 p.m. to 2 a.m.

The Trap Room, where you can also order to-go drinks online, offers a straightforward Bloody Mary if that is what you want — but they also serve a genius 32-ounce, sleek-looking Trap Room branded jug of Bloody Mary to-go for $40. And yes, it is as game-changing as it sounds. But if that’s not your speed, you must check out the $5 Bloody Marys on Sundays until 4 p.m.

Admittedly, some aperitif aficionados and brunch champions may scoff at the lack of food on the menu to pair with such an excellent drink. But the Trap Room makes up for this in sheer cocktail quality and is a renowned cozy hideout bar.

Give props to the mixed drink for its elegant presentation and intuitive convenience. But most of all, give it up for The Trap Room — one of the more talked-about Bloody Mary specialists nearby. Permit yourself to find out why.

Indeed, a Bloody Mary can be green. Found on Facebook page

Early Bird Brunch

When it comes to brunching in the historic Blackstone district or bustling Shadow Lake Towne Center, most folks know to visit Early Bird, and for a good reason. And if you are also in the mood for a Bloody Mary, you are doubly in luck. 

But if you see what looks like an off-color margarita topped with fried foods, what you see is a Bloody Mary known around these parts as the “Green Queen,” and you should order it. Expect your green Bloody Mary to taste delicious on three levels, especially if you enjoy spices. For fixings, they use green onion, jalapeno, and celery; for vodka, they use a thyme-infuse brand; and their house green tomato Mary mix mingles effortlessly with the green tabasco.

Early Bird also serves a straight-up Bloody Mary in a tall, slightly avant-garde drinking glass, beautifully topped with all the edible fixings you want. 

Blatt Beer & Table opened in 2012 to honor the memory of Rosenblatt Stadium, which had closed two years prior. Found on Facebook page

Blatt Beer & Table

Blatt Beer & Table is a rad place to eat delicious craft pub food, play a game of shuffleboard, and drink excellent cold beer. But it is also an underrated place to get a dank Bloody Mary for $8. 

Theirs are slightly spicy, amplified by the bell pepper fixings, and endlessly savory, thanks to the perfectly blended house mix and paired with a good pour of vodka. You can even drink it outside to obtain a different perspective.

And for those who enjoy multiple options, you will be pleased to know Blatt joins other premiere forward-moving establishments by offering to-go pickup and delivery services at the downtown and Papillion locations. Enjoy your Bloody Mary at home and in-house — both experiences make for a worthwhile and memorable time.

The Elbow Room first opened in 1946, meaning that its dive bar status has been well earned. Found on Facebook page

The Elbow Room

  • 4973 Center St | (402) 932-5116
  • Mon-Fri: 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. | Sat: 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. | Sun: 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Check out the Elbow Room to discover how a self-described, self-embracing dive bar can deliver an impressive range of cocktail excellence. Specifically, get comfortable and order yourself one of Eddie’s Famous Bloody Marys; after all, as a rule, any self-respecting, self-aware hole in the wall is only as good as its house Mary. And this is one of the best neighborhood bars in Omaha, after all.

Spoiler alert: this facility nails this cocktail. The low-key, small, and dark nature of this establishment doubtless contributes to that implacable reason people frequently order this drink here. The bartenders have done good work establishing an epic blueprint to be poured by skillful tenders.

Ultimately, if you want a tough-as-nails Mary — an affordable, straightforward, and tasty cocktail — and a roller-coaster feeling in your stomach, the Elbow Room may be the place for you. 

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